Diversions

I Stand Out Supply

The Entrepreneur: Growing up in a low-income, single-parent home, first-generation college graduate Isaiah Hayes, BA ’20, knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur and a role model for his younger siblings. A business major and former captain of UD’s basketball team, Hayes combined his love of shoes and art to launch ISO (“I Stand Out”). Honored by the Texas Business Hall of Fame with a Future Texas Business Legend Award in October 2021, Hayes plans to pursue an MBA soon while expanding and growing his business.

In a Nutshell: ISO offers restoration and customization services for vintage clothes and sneakers, creating one-of-a-kind attire and footwear. “I want to leave a legacy highlighting individuality—it’s OK to set yourself apart from the crowd and be different because that’s what makes each of us unique, what makes us human,” said Hayes. Start Shopping: Visit instagram.com/iso_supply

Living the Quest

The Writer/Director: Shannon (Bralick) Valenzuela, Ph.D., BA '00, hosts discussions with prominent Christian voices in this podcast inspired by UD’s EWTN series The Quest. In a Nutshell: “In Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI says that in order to reach Christ, the True Light, ‘we also need lights close by—people who shine with His light and so guide us along our way.’ The Living the Quest series explores more deeply the themes of steadfast courage, hope and love through the personal stories of those who are on the journey with us right here, right now.” Start Listening: Visit udallas.edu/living-the-quest

The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis

The Author: Jason Baxter, Ph.D., BA ’05, is an associate professor of fine arts and humanities at Wyoming Catholic College. He writes on the relevance of medieval art, literature and thought, especially related to medieval mysticism, Dante and C.S. Lewis. In a Nutshell: “Jason Baxter argues that Lewis was deeply formed not only by … Scripture and his love of ancient mythology, but also by medieval literature. For this undeniably modern Christian, authors like Dante and Boethius provided a worldview that was relevant to the challenges of the contemporary world.” Start Reading: Buy the book at ivpress.com/ the-medieval-mind-of-c-s-lewis

A LIVING TRADITION

Q&A with Dean Philip Harold

orn in Irving and the son of a UD alumnus, Philip Harold returned to Irving last spring as the dean of the undergraduate Constantin College of Liberal Arts. Prior to UD, he most recently served at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania as the associate dean for the School of Informatics, Humanities and Social Sciences, and as a professor of political science.

Harold and his wife, Rachel, have seven children, ranging in age from 3 to 20. Tower sat down with him to discuss his first year as dean.

As the son of an alumnus and as a professor at another liberal arts university, what was your perception of UD? The University of Dallas is the best Catholic liberal arts school in the country. I had always known the reputation of UD and the strength of the curriculum. However, it is not until you come here and interact with the faculty that you see how special this place really is. It is one thing to have a strong mission and curriculum on paper, but it takes special professors to make the best of the Western tradition come alive. Our faculty are not only powerhouse intellectuals, they are also incredibly dedicated to the truth and to the students. They want to teach well, but they also want to know the truth themselves, and the students become partners in this quest for truth. Our students do amazing things, and it is because of the cultivation they receive from our faculty. What makes UD’s Core Curriculum and approach to education distinct from others?

Our Core Curriculum is personalistic. The Core is not a matter of classes teaching what one thinker after another said, but rather is an engagement of students as persons in the big questions of human life. The Core is not just something students learn, it is the participation in a living tradition, as exemplified through the conversations they have with each other, their professors and their friends outside the classroom.

What have you learned in working with UD students over this past year? Our students are hungry to learn, and they enjoy the intellectual life. As they go through the Core and their majors, they realize that the questions they pose about reality can be answered. They then experience the joy of making connections and new discoveries, whether it is doing research for a class, for their major or on their own, seeing the Western tradition come alive during the Rome semester, or attending conferences or lectures, or even hosting their own underground lecture series. Why do you believe the liberal arts are important in today’s culture? Only thinkers trained in the liberal arts can both provide us with the needed perspectives on our world and integrate them into a comprehensive whole that accounts for what is good and true in each perspective. We are awash in information, but often poor in our ability to process it. The presence of an intellectual community of liberally educated thinkers, dedicated to seeking truth, is of extraordinary benefit to the whole social and political order of any people.

During Alumni & Family Weekend last October, Dean Harold moderated the popular debate between Associate Pro-

fessor of History Susan Hanssen, Ph.D., and

Associate Professor of

Politics Daniel Burns,

Ph.D., “This House Considers That Hobbits Are Vile Creatures.” Both playful and intellectual, the debate embodied that living tradition of which Harold speaks.

Top right: Chaplain

Monsignor Don Fischer and Lyle

lay out planks for the ceiling of the Lynch Auditorium porch, where Sunday liturgies were held until the church was completed in 1985. Bottom left: Father Don had been an art major before going into the seminary and helped Lyle with various projects around campus.

CAMPUS AS ART

A Legacy of Art and Beauty

By Callie Ewing, BA ’03 MH ’22

rofessor Emeritus of Art Lyle Novinski and his wife, Sybil, moved to Texas from Chicago in 1960 when he was hired as an art professor at the fouryear-old University of Dallas. They did not believe it to be a long-term appointment—two years, at most. UD was still a fledgling enterprise, a handful of bland buildings on a barren hill; Irving was onetenth of its current size and Dallas not very bustling or intriguing either. Still, at UD, there were the Cistercians, the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur who had helped found the university, and Donald and Louise Cowan, among other notable faculty. There were already the seeds of what UD would become.

In 1965, when the second art building was completed, the Novinskis were still at UD and about to become even more firmly entrenched: Lyle Novinski began his nearly 40 years as chair of the Art Department after Cistercian monk Phillip Richard Szeitz, the department’s founder and first chair, resigned that spring. Through the years, Lyle nourished and built upon the department’s relationship with Beatrice Menne Haggerty. “Both Midwesterners, they shared an interest in landscape and architecture that encouraged [Lyle’s] long-standing involvement in design solution for the campus, including the Constantin Memorial Garden and the redesign of the Haggar circle area when the Haggerty Art Village was completed in 2000,” wrote Sybil in her 2006 history of the university. “To Mrs. Haggerty he pledged that they would never cut a tree unnecessarily when adding to the art center.” Going further than simply not cutting trees, Lyle planted UD’s flowering peach trees, among others.

Over the years, Lyle led students in a multitude of projects to beautify the campus, including building the stairs around the gym to the pool and parking lot, landscaping the seminary side of Braniff Graduate Building, and creating a walk through the woods to the East Quad. He and students helped former Associate Vice President of Administration Patrick Daly, BA ’76 MBA ’82, design and build the first Cap Bar in fall 1981.

Before there was a church, Sybil recalled, “There are so many stories I can tell about all five of our children helping their dad set up for some ceremony such as the incredible Advent Masses in the gym—Lyle became the master of changing areas into sacred spaces.” When the Church of the Incarnation was constructed in 1985, Lyle was instrumental, serving as liturgical consultant and designing the liturgical appointments such as a baptismal font and an altar.

Under Lyle’s leadership, UD awarded the first 63-credit MFA degrees in 1970. Influence of UD M.A. and MFAs has been considerable in the region; many North Texas community college art faculty hail from UD’s art programs.

“The biggest influence Professor Novinski had on me was teaching me how to read the campus like a big piece of art,” said art major Elisa (Choffel) Low, BA ’03. “For example, the chapel is an intersecting square and circle. The circle is the sanctuary, and the square is the narthex and patio. The patio’s roof was deliberately built the same height as the tree canopy, so you have a seamless transition from the outdoors to the patio to the indoors. The Art Village’s new buildings were built with copper, because copper fades and weathers to a particular shade of green that blends in with the trees that are back there. So for the first 20 years you could still see the copper, but now they finally blend into the landscape as the designer intended. There are stories and meanings behind almost every building on campus just like this, and Lyle knows them all.”

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A Legacy of Beautifying Campus

Lyle Novinski helped create a sense of intentional beauty at UD, always giving deep attention to the details that compose the art of the whole.

1 - Novinski served as the artist for the UD Station of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. 2 - In Novinski’s spirit of campus beautification, this year’s Clash of the Classes kicked off with a Campus Cleanup Day. Dean of Students Greg Roper, Ph.D., BA ’84, said: “I had many students ask me at the end of the day, ‘Why can’t we do this every Saturday?’ They LOVE getting out, getting dirty, and contributing to the campus.” 3 - “The torch passes! Welcome to the wonders of building walls and walks, planting trees and flowers, providing precious memories of UD community efforts,” said Novinski at the Campus Cleanup Day. 4 - “Bravo Mike Wehrle and his cohorts for reinvigorating this UD tradition,” added Novinski, pictured here with Wehrle, BA ’85, who has helped spearhead the engagement of alumni and current students in giving back to UD. 5 - Novinski and Associate Provost John Norris, Ph.D., BA ’84, examine the Saint John’s Bible Exhibit in the Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery in 2018. 6 - Nearly 200 prints from Lyle’s private collection, collected mainly for teaching at UD, are on view at the Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery through the end of September in “A World of Paper: The Lyle Novinski Print Collection.” These represent many techniques and styles, spanning more than 400 years of printmaking history. 7 - Novinski’s work “Nobility” is one of those featured in the “A World of Paper” exhibit. 8 - Sybil Novinski retired from UD’s staff in 2017, having served in positions ranging from registrar to dean to university historian since her arrival with Lyle in 1960. To commemorate the occasion, the couple drove their restored MG down the Mall. 9 - Novinski and his son Stefan Novinski, M.F.A., BA ’92, chair and director of University Theater and associate professor of drama, celebrate the Art Village's 50th anniversary in 2015.

t The University News, we pride ourselves on being a student-led newspaper. Developed by students, written by students, edited by students, published by students and, most importantly, read by students. However, we are not without guidance on our endeavor. Tucked away in absolute plain sight on Sunday and Monday nights in the Braniff Graduate Building foyer was our journalism director, the constant and witty Rudy Bush, BA ’97 MA ’19 MBA ’21. Bush joined UD as the director of the journalism program and adviser to the student paper in 2014. Currently, he serves as vice president and editorial page editor for the Dallas Morning News. Bush’s mother, Beth Alvarez Bush, BA ’62, was a member of UD’s third class. His sister, Margaret, BA ’94, followed in her mother’s footsteps to the uneven Mall and dimly lit hallways of Braniff, bullying Bush into visiting with “endless cajoling and promises of beer.” I think that’s how we all end up here, isn’t it? Upon acquiescing to his sister’s badgering, Bush “couldn’t believe how interesting the people were. They talked seriously about serious things. They cared about things that I cared about but didn’t really get to talk about, like words and writing and beauty and truth. And they gave me Pearl Beer, which had little puzzles on the cap. I was in.”

And in he was. Three degrees and an eight-year-long faculty position later, we [lost] Bush from the journalism program at the end of this [2021-22 academic] year. To emphasize the gravity of this loss to our community, we decided to share some of the ways in which Bush has supported and mentored through his years of service.

BeLynn Hollers, BA ’21, who is currently a journalist at the Dallas Morning News, said: “Rudy Bush is in his best form a teacher, not just for the craft of journalism, but the craft of life. Through the years he’s taught me to stand up for those who need an advocate, listen to the most vulnerable earnestly, and rebuke my own self when necessary, of which he made a practice.”

Rosa Venditti, BA ’22, shared: “This year as editor-in-chief has been fraught with difficulties … For anything that Rudy could help with, he was always a phone call away. Based on his willingness to put himself on the line, based on his willingness to take metaphorical bullets for me, I bet he’d take a real bullet if need be.” Bush shared why he got into journalism and why he stayed, saying: “At first, I romanticized it … Over time, I’ve come to understand how this work is integral to who we are. In one sense, it’s very old work. We are telling human stories. We are marking our place in time and space. “In another sense, it’s much more recent. Journalism, for all of its faults, is woven into what American democracy is. We have a serious responsibility that we don’t always fulfill as well as we could. But people need fact-finders to fulfill their own role as citizens.”

I have no desire to go into journalism, but that’s not what Bush really teaches anyway, not at the root. Bush’s final comment to me was directed at UD: “Thanks for letting me come home to teach. Loved every minute, even the ones I didn’t.”

Me too, Rudy. Me too.

Emily Grant graduated

this May with a B.A. in business. She participated in The University News for the majority of college, serving as the sports editor for the ’21-’22 school year in addition to acting as a contributing writer for other sections. Currently, she works as a real estate paralegal in Dallas, discerning law school and spending time with her family and fiancé.

The full version of this article was published in The University News on May 4, 2022. Read

more at udallas.edu/ telling-human-stories.

TELLING HUMAN

By Emily Grant, BA ’22

The Catholic Imagination

By Clare Venegas

long with select national cosponsors, the University of Dallas’ Donald and Louise Cowan Center is hosting the Fourth Biennial Catholic Imagination Conference, Sept. 30 - Oct. 1, to explore a variety of questions surrounding the Catholic imagination in literature and the arts. “The Biennial Catholic Imagination Conference is not primarily an academic gathering, though it is an intellectual one,” said Jessica Hooten Wilson, Ph.D., MA ’06, Louise Cowan Scholar in Residence for Humanities and Classical Education in the Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts. “Our desire is to encourage the faithful in their vocation to highlight the beautiful. We want to offer a place for Catholic readers and writers alike to celebrate one another's work, form friendships, and worship the One who Authors us all.”

The conference will feature more than 50 writers, poets, journalists, editors, publishers, playwrights and critics. Questions about the future of the Catholic literary and artistic tradition, the state of faith-laced discourse in a broken world, and how Catholic thought and practice are particularly well-suited to address universal human needs will be among those explored by conference speakers.

Plenary speakers include (pictured above from top left to bottom right):

Uwem Akpan, author of Oprah Book Club selection Say You’re One of Them

Will Arbery, playwright, Heroes of the Fourth Turning

Chris Beha, National Book Award finalist, The Index of Self-Destructive Acts

Elizabeth Bruenig, opinion writer and editor, The Atlantic

Dana Gioia, poet and critic

Paul Mariani, poet and biographer

Gloria Purvis, host of the Gloria Purvis Show for America Media

Helen Sung, Guggenheim fellow and award-winning jazz pianist More information about the Catholic Imagination Conference, which will be held at UD and the Marriott Las Colinas, can be found at udallas.edu/cic.

LEADING LAWYERS

RULE OF LAW

The University of Dallas will host the annual conference of the Catholic Bar Association Oct. 13-15. The theme, “Catholic Lawyers: Upholding the Rule of Law,” will feature a Red Mass celebrated by UD Chancellor the Most Rev. Edward J. Burns, bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, and a number of events and presentations both at UD and nearby hotels.

The gathering of Catholic lawyers, which describes itself as “a community of legal professionals that educates, organizes and inspires its members to faithfully uphold and bear witness to the Catholic faith in the study and practice of the law,” will feature keynote presentations by Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thomas M. Hardiman, the Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Ph.D., who heads the Archeparchy of Philadelphia of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and U.S. District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk.

UD President Jonathan J. Sanford, Ph.D., along with new UD Trustee Charles LiMandri, a constitutional rights and First Amendment attorney, and longtime UD Professor of English Gerard Wegemer, Ph.D., will also present at the fall conference. The conference is cosponsored by the St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Dallas. To register or for more information, visit CatholicBar. org/CBA2022.

IN IRVING AND ABROAD

Summer Study Opportunities Expand

By Clare Venegas

his past summer saw an expansion of several summer study programs, both abroad and in Irving. In Europe, with the removal of many COVID-era restrictions, UD’s signature Summer Rome Program expanded to include two 6-week sessions while a record number of upper-level Spanish students traveled to the Catholic University of Avila in Spain to participate in the Institute for Spanish Language and Culture.

“Expanding our signature Rome Program during the summer term gives our students a chance to experience what so many generations of our alumni have come to love—that is, the ability to learn about great works and the roots of Western civilization while living in and traveling to the places they learn about,” said Vice President, Dean and Director of the Rome Campus Peter Hatlie, Ph.D., professor of classics.

“The program at the Catholic University of Avila is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for UD students,” said Jose Espericueta, associate professor of Spanish and chair of the Modern Languages Department. “This immersion experience helps students improve their language skills and gain valuable knowledge about the history of the West. During their month in Spain, students tour Roman ruins, study the works of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross, and travel throughout parts of Spain. Family stays offer students an intimate acquaintance with Spanish life and culture, while long weekends offer great opportunities for travel and exploration.”

Additionally, in Irving, about 30 students enjoyed an enhanced Mayterm session that included free on-campus housing and expanded writing lab and Cap Bar hours, as well as several “Discover Dallas” excursions—including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Aquarium and Dallas Museum of Art guided by Estelle Fonteneau, Ph.D.

“The ‘Discover Dallas’ excursions treated our Mayterm students to a few of the many world-class cultural offerings Dallas has to offer,” said Kyle Lemieux, BA ’98, associate professor of drama and director of the Summer Irving program. “Students’ feedback has been very positive, and we hope to expand the excursions moving forward to continue to enrich the experience for UD Summer.”

REMEMBERING ROME

HONORING MSGR. FUCINARO

A group of grateful alumni came together to permanently honor Monsignor Thomas Fucinaro, longtime chaplain of UD’s Eugene Constantin Campus, by purchasing a beautiful statue of St. Joseph to be placed in Due Santi's vineyard. Fucinaro served as chaplain for 16 years and this year was reassigned by Pope Francis to serve as pastor of the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in his home diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska.

‘FOUG FUND’ UPDATE

The Fougerousse Convivium Fund was established last year by Lisa (Fougerousse), BA ’90, and her husband, Jeff, BA ’86, Mobus to honor the spirit of James M. Fougerousse, BA ’67, one of the first directors of the University of Dallas’ Rome Program. Thanks to the generosity of the alumni community, the “Foug Fund” has raised over $50,000, reaching endowment status, in support of lectures, tours and convivial gatherings throughout the semester. Contribute at udallas.edu/foug-fund.

Additionally, the salone on the Eugene Constantin Campus was named for Fougerousse, thanks to the generosity of the Mobuses along with that of Lisa (Pelletier), BA ’93, and Randy, BA ’86, Irlbeck, John Norris, Ph.D., BA ’84, Sarah (Fougerousse), BA ’91, and Michael, BA ’90, Tiller, and other alumni to memorialize Fougerousse’s legacy on the Rome campus, and in particular, the effortless way in which he gathered people together.

Rome Faculty Housing Expands

By Callie Ewing, BA ’03 MH ’22

hanks to donations from Kathy (Uhl), BA ’91 MBA ’99, Danny Milligan, BA ’91, and Vince R. Pawlowski, BA ’85, there will soon be additional faculty housing on UD’s Eugene Constantin Campus in Rome. One of the trademarks of UD’s lauded Rome Program is that students are taught by UD faculty. With some notable exceptions such as Dean, Director and Vice President of the Rome Campus Peter Hatlie, Ph.D., most Rome faculty start out in Irving, moving to Rome—often with their families—for two or more years at a time to teach. While undoubtedly a beneficial system for students—who sometimes get to experience classes taught by the same faculty both in Irving and in Rome—there has not to date been enough housing available to house all faculty on the Rome campus, with a particular shortage of apartments able to accommodate as many as six family members.

This has often resulted in those professors and their families having to reside off campus, which is contrary to the program’s communal nature and not the preferred solution. The university has traditionally believed that bringing as many faculty as possible to Rome for service is good for both them and for the students. “Also, our staff needs in Rome are to some extent met by employees coming from Irving, notably our Rome coordinators,” explained Hatlie.

Current apartment space for faculty and staff consists of the Villa Attic, Villa Manor, Villa Garden, Mensa Grande, Mensa Piccola, Dormitory Laundry, and Annex Apartment, each of which can accommodate at least two and some up to six members of a faculty family. The new apartment will be located in the lower level of the dormitory and able to house a family of six (or alternatively be divided into two separate apartments). It measures around 800 square feet internally and has nearly the same terrace space.

“Rome is truly flourishing these days, in no small part because of these seeds planted by our dear alumni and friends,” said Hatlie. “Over the past three to five years we’ve seen significant donor support for student scholarships, buildings and facilities, faculty research and development, religious life, and academic program enhancements.”

BEAUTIFULLY BALANCED

WORD ON THE GRAPEVINE

UD’s Eugene Constantin Campus ferments an enriching experience for undergraduates during their Rome semester, and this year, Due Santi Wines (made from the campus vineyards) released a daring new red and new rosé. "The 2021 Due Santi Rosato is the rosato we long hoped we could produce. It is the most complete and beautifully balanced wine we have made from our merlot plantings," said Michael Housewright, BA ’96. However, the earthy Due Santi Rosso remains a house favorite among UD alumni.

The fertile foothills offer an exquisite, tasteful palette, churning booming sales of UD’s Due Santi vintages at the alumnus-owned Lamberti’s Ristorante & Wine Bar in Las Colinas during Groundhog and commencement. David Lamberti, BA ’01, purchased and opened Lamberti’s in 2017, employing several current UD students, who, like him, fondly recall their Rome experiences. If you're a North Texas resident, then there are many other restaurants and shops where you can find Due Santi Wines, including Eataly, Central Market, Jimmy’s Food Store and more.

Reap our harvest from UD’s vineyard through the alumni-owned CellarBrowser. Visit cellarbrowser.com for a complete list of wines, and don’t miss the fall season special for UD alumni with 15% off three or more bottles of Due Santi Wines with the promo code TOWERMAG.